expand your limits

Today I had my third “test” at Fitness Together. Pretty painless if you don’t count stepping on the scale and getting calipered to see my fat percentage!

The first time I had these things done was at the very beginning to get a ‘base line’ so it would be easy to track my improvement. I was mortified! The second time I wasn’t horrified because I knew I’d made significant strides. Well, this time I wasn’t mortified or horrified, but I wasn’t exactly ecstatic. I felt disappointment when I stepped on the scale and when he pulled out those calipers, felt fear of finding out the fat facts!

But before all that, Nick and I discussed how things have been going and I shared with him I feel like I’ve kind of stalled. I fessed up about how I’ve been buying my favorite (one of many) Easter treats, the candy coated malted milk eggs! I ‘only eat a serving’ but then maybe another one later in the day! It’s fine and dandy to eat candy, if you aren’t trying to lose weight! Duh! My calories need to count for nutrition and satiety. If my stomach doesn’t fill up, I’ll eat more, and that’s what’s been happening! I’ve been hungry hungry! Did I mention I’ve been hungry?!

So, Nick helped me decide on a few goals. It’s easy to flounder around aimlessly if you don’t keep goals in front of your face constantly. (When Nick pulled out my goals from before Thanksgiving, I’d forgotten I had made any! Shoot!) Goals are vital to success, I’m learning! If I don’t have any, (or forget I do) I show up, do the work, but don’t make time for a cardio session. I eat on the run and forget to keep track. I fudge a little here and there. Life is full, time slips by and whatdya know, oops, another week has gone by and very little progress was made. (This is too expensive a commitment to behave in such a nonchalant way!)

I told Nick it’s time to get tough with me. He’s such a good sport! That’s why I pay him the big bucks! He helps me show up, do the work, and keeps me accountable! He reminds me to write the times on the calendar in advance so that I’ve planned it in my day and it has a better chance of actually happening! (Another duh!)

Here’s where we landed. I will continue to do my two training sessions a week. But I will schedule them before 9 am. Then, I will come in to do my cardio three times a week and will come in by 7 am. (The early time is to help me not wishy-wash my way out of making it happen. I don’t like to get sweaty! Once I’m cleaned up for the day, I certainly don’t want to sweat because I’ll have to get all cleaned up again! So I’ll go in early so I won’t have an excuse to escape a workout!)

I also made a commitment to do a complete job of filling in my food chart every day instead of petering out after lunch and winging it the rest of the day/night.

And, here’s my reward! Every week that I do the work, (taking my baby steps toward grown up athletic discipline!) I get to eat 4 of those amazing chocolate eggs! 4! I told Nick a serving is 5 eggs. He said, “I know, you told me.” I was like, well then, why not 5? He asked me if I always eat an entire serving of everything, for instance, a meal at a restaurant. I said of course I didn’t. Well then, point made! Why do I need to eat 5 when 4 will do?

I want to lose another 20 pounds by the end of July. It’s possible, if I follow the plan and stick to it! So there are my goals: showing up early to do 2 training sessions, 3 additional cardio sessions, keeping a complete and accurate food chart, and then I’ll see the changes I long for.

I read recently in a book, “Don’t let anything you can change limit your life.” This is powerful. As I look back over the years of feeling inferior because of many things, but mostly my appearance due to weight issues, I realize that I allowed something that I could change limit my activities and relationships! No more! I’m on the road to health and that includes emotional and spiritual health as well as physical well-being. They are all interwoven. There’s no separating them.

Please allow me to encourage you to take those words to heart and make some decisions to change what you can change so that you don’t limit your living!

It just so happens that this weekend, March 12th, there is a Wellness Seminar at Lifegate Church from 9-4:30. There will be some excellent speakers, and topics that should interest you. Also, there will be professionals there to screen your blood pressure, spine and vision, all for free! Check out the link and try to come. The sessions I’m particularly interested in are: Creating a Personalized Fitness Plan (taught by real trainers), Overcoming Obstacles to Exercise (taught by Sara Garcia, a Wellness Advocate and motivational speaker), and The ABC’s of Managing Stress (taught by a Dr. of Psychology)! There are many more topics, all taught by professionals with plenty of experience. So, come check it out! It’s free!

Come and take your first step at making a change to expand your limits! See you there!

4 Responses to “expand your limits”

Here’s another comment… I was reading The Message for today, and I couldn’t help but equate your posting with chapter 12 of Hebrews. I am so very much enjoying The Message version this year. It helped with Leviticus 🙂

Laughing out loud with the malted egs comment and the tough trainer “I’ll give you four for five”. The “Don’t let anything you can change limit your life,” is definitely an eye opener. As always, I greatly appreciate your frank pressing on. Personally, I like the Hershey’s chocolate eggs with the candy coating :). My goal is to not crack the bag until the Easter baskets…

When you first started talking about exercise and healthy eating it was one of the inspirations God used in my life. I spent the better part of last year weighing 12.5 pounds less than I had weighed for 20 years. (Note that I mentioned the .5) I have a goal to loose another 12.5 this year. Trouble is I have to loose the 4 lbs I just gained… So make that 16.5 for this year. I’ll be praying for your 20 pounds and your continued great health AND I’ll be praying you will blog regularly about your process for my sake. Thanks, Kris. Please keep it up. Your success. And the blog.

THank you for your inspiration. I struggle with my weight for the past 20 years. I feel so alone thru that struggle, but here that I am not alone is
an inspiration. But that’s to your Blog you have encouraged me, inspired me, and challenged me that inside I can become anything that I
want. It is tough to be a size 14 in a size 6 world. So I put down my
snack and pick up an apple and say, Kris is doing it, and she is hanging in there why can’t I. God Bless, love you girl.